Fun Manual Sports Car Recommendations?

[akmerle]

Why not buy the nicest Boxster or C6 you can find in your prince range and be DONE?

[NMS3]

Go used....for $30k you can get damn near any car you want, just depends on how many years old you want to go.

I had been wanting the same thing for years and years and kept telling myself, now's not the time, just wait, blah blah blah. Ideally I wanted a 2014 Boss 302 (as a toy) but I knew what I wanted to do with the car and how I wanted to treat it and just could not justify dropping 30k-40k on something I was going to drive like I stole it several time a week/track it/autocross it/etc.....so I came up with a realistic "disposable car" budget and that was about 12-14k.......well, one day about 8 months ago a great deal presented itself and I pulled the trigger. I ended up getting a 1999 GT with a Gen 2 Coyote and about 18k in other suspension/transmission/brakes/rear end/rims & tires/other mods...all documented (was actually a magazine build) and I on 1 hand am glad I waited because this is the exact car that I've always wanted and on the other hand and mad I waited till I was 37 to pull the trigger on something fun like this. It just happens to have worked out that way.

Don't get "analysis paralysis", don't overthink it, figure out what you want and just do it! If you've always wanted a V8, don't settle for less, you'll just be disappointed. I tried to scratch my itch (before buying the mustang) and bought a 2003 WRX STI for like 5k and 2 weeks in, I knew I goofed.

It’s funny I come across your post now. I was coming in to update that at this point, I really do have to go for the V8. I’ve waited years to get one, and now that I have the ability to get one, I continue to overthink it. All it took this weekend was to be around 2 s550 Coyotes on the street (coincidence?) where I was easily reminded why I’ve waited so long to get a GT.

It’s been more-so a maturity thing. I keep telling myself to continue to make smart financial decisions. Let’s face it, if the car I have now is getting me from Point A to Point B just fine, buying a new car isn’t “smart.” At the same time, life is short. And do I really want to wait until I’m 40? That’s why I resonate with you on the “now’s not the time” idea. The thing is, though, that’ll never change; when I’m in an even better situation 5 years from now, 15 years from now, I’ll always have that mentality. So I think it comes down to balance; just recognizing and having the awareness behind the decisions I make, and what I value at the moment and for the foreseeable future.

I’ll likely get an s550 V8, mainly because of the interior compared to the other mustang years. They’re in the price range I’m sticking with. I had a 4.0 V6 years ago, back when I knew nothing about cars. So, upgrading to the V8, i want to go for an s550 and not just another s197 model (or older). I’ll keep you posted brah, I appreciate your input.

[BullittEV]

Depends on what you want it for. Mustangs are for crashing into crowds and demonstrating how poor a driver you are.

[iwant2beswole]

Soooo..... I rethought this. Hands down, best manual transmission shifting experience of ANY car. A S2000. Perfect for your budget range and a truly timeless and iconic car.

My son has one and it is one of the most fun cars to drive and it can actually be a practical car. Good trunk and you can travel quite comfortably in it. Another true drivers car! And it will never go down in value...

they don't make them like this anymore SRS


bought mine in 2019 for 24k and it's now pushing 50. mine is extremely mint and 20k miles so I almost never drive it, but every time I do I hnnnnng

[induced_drag]

they don't make them like this anymore SRS


bought mine in 2019 for 24k and it's now pushing 50. mine is extremely mint and 20k miles so I almost never drive it, but every time I do I hnnnnng

Yes. I have some decent experience with cars on many levels. The S2k is a very special platform. The incredible thing is just how well balanced a car it is. But of ANY car ever driven, it has the best manual trans hands down.

It is a car that you can draw analogies like a musical instrument. It is not just going to give you instant gratification by just possessing lots of power and only requiring you to push the accelerator. BUT, if you know how to 'play it' the most beautiful and rewarding things happen. Things you simply cant get out of other cars. Such a wonderful car and truly timeless!

My sons is was a 1-owner vin matching no accident car. His has 115k miles. But that is great since he just loves to drive it. He can really make the car do it's thing. The S2K is very sensitive to lift off over steer so have to be careful to apply throttle before apex of corners. If you use it right, the chassis is wonderful. In the hands of someone who does not know how to drive, it's corner snap oversteer will assure the car ends up bent.

[BullittEV]

Yes. I have some decent experience with cars on many levels. The S2k is a very special platform. The incredible thing is just how well balanced a car it is. But of ANY car ever driven, it has the best manual trans hands down.

It is a car that you can draw analogies like a musical instrument. It is not just going to give you instant gratification by just possessing lots of power and only requiring you to push the accelerator. BUT, if you know how to 'play it' the most beautiful and rewarding things happen. Things you simply cant get out of other cars. Such a wonderful car and truly timeless!

My sons is was a 1-owner vin matching no accident car. His has 115k miles. But that is great since he just loves to drive it. He can really make the car do it's thing. The S2K is very sensitive to lift off over steer so have to be careful to apply throttle before apex of corners. If you use it right, the chassis is wonderful. In the hands of someone who does not know how to drive, it's corner snap oversteer will assure the car ends up bent.

I wanted an s2k back in middle school because it was the first time I saw a engine start button.. lmao

[induced_drag]

Sad to say, there is one less AP-1 vin matching, clean car fax in the world. I hit a deer and totaled his car a week ago. Lucky I was not hurt, but raining and car went off road.

Felt terrible. Asking my son, what do you want to replace it. His response. "I would have thought I would have kept the s2000 forever.". Then to make worse, I said since I now will be shopping for one, what color. He said, "I really like the silver".
Man....felt so bad.

[EdwardTheGreat]

Sad to say, there is one less AP-1 vin matching, clean car fax in the world. I hit a deer and totaled his car a week ago. Lucky I was not hurt, but raining and car went off road.

Felt terrible. Asking my son, what do you want to replace it. His response. "I would have thought I would have kept the s2000 forever.". Then to make worse, I said since I now will be shopping for one, what color. He said, "I really like the silver".
Man....felt so bad.

There is a silver beauty on Bring A Trailer right now....24K miles

[induced_drag]

There is a silver beauty on Bring A Trailer right now....24K miles

Thanks man! Some nice ones on BAT recently. Just found out yesterday they were going to 'total' the car. Waiting on their value they give it. My guess is they will try to low ball. Will see.

I bought it's replacement yesterday. Friend of mine's car. Was way more car than I wanted for a 17 year old, but too good a deal to pass up. 50k+ into the build alone.

390WHP
Fuly built motor
Science of Speed stage II w/ 13psi pulley intercooled supercharger (intercooled)
Stand alone ECU
4.44 PuddyMod diff
KW coil overs
SSR wheels



WAY too many upgrades to list but pretty much everything. Roll bars, braces.

OEM hard top w/ CR tonneau
Custom audio...etc.
Car is OEM black but he had wrap professionally done and PPF the entire front of the car.


SUPER clean car. Yes more car than I was thinking I wanted for my son, but he has a good head on his shoulders. He can drive any car better than I can. The HP is not really all that much (relatively speaking) compared to other cars he drives regularly. But I was 17 once too and the street is a tempting place to screw around. This car is just so clean and nice. Lucky to have a friend who was ready to move on from it, and after he heard about my accident he reached out and told us to come take the car for the week and see if we wanted it. Was hard to say no after driving it. All in all, a very sorted car done quite well. Could easily drive on track and it would do quite well.

The coolest thing is even with almost twice the OEM hp, the car is still very much S2K. Just a lot more fun.

[InPhase]

A supercharger would certainly help fatten up that torque curve.

[induced_drag]

A supercharger would certainly help fatten up that torque curve.

Supercharger suits it well. He had an AP1 which really needed to be revived. This car is AP2. I think I prefer the AP1 for all out driving, but the broader torque curve of the AP2 makes street driving easier. The supercharger then brings up everything across the board. Still feels very much S2K like even with the additional power. Very nice addition to the car for sure.